Reuters World News Summary

Victoria and Queensland Police confirmed the deaths of six people, the youngest a nine-year-old girl who local media reported was swept away in a flooded storm water drain. Sweden edges closer to NATO after vote in Turkish parliamentary commission The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission approved Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday in a key step towards enlarging the Western bloc after 19 months of delays in which Ankara demanded security-related concessions from Stockholm.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Rapper Ye, the former Kanye West, apologizes in Hebrew for anti-Jewish remarks

The rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, issued an apology in Hebrew to the Jewish community on Tuesday for his past antisemitic remarks, saying he sought forgiveness and regretted any pain that his words had caused. Ye's apology, posted to X and Instagram, follows reports that the release of his new album, "Vultures," has been delayed until January. The release has been pushed back several times from its original date in October.

Gaza war to last months, Israel says, as fears of conflict spread rise

Israel's war on Hamas will last months, Israel's military chief said, as a string of incidents outside the Gaza Strip highlighted the risk of the conflict spreading. Israel's Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi told reporters in a televised statement on Tuesday from the Gaza border that the war would go on "for many months".

Russia's Navalny describes harsh reality at 'Polar Wolf' Arctic prison

Jailed Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny on Tuesday confirmed his arrival at what he described as a snow-swept prison above the Arctic Circle and said he was in excellent spirits despite a tiring 20-day journey to get there.

Navalny posted an update on X via his lawyers after his allies lost touch with him for more than two weeks while he was in transit with no information about where he was being taken, prompting expressions of concern from Western politicians.

Six dead, three missing after storms hit Australia

Australian police said at least six people were killed and three others missing after severe thunderstorms battered Australia's eastern states over the Christmas holidays, with tens of thousands of households without power in Queensland. Victoria and Queensland Police confirmed the deaths of six people, the youngest a nine-year-old girl who local media reported was swept away in a flooded storm water drain.

Sweden edges closer to NATO after vote in Turkish parliamentary commission

The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission approved Sweden's NATO membership bid on Tuesday in a key step towards enlarging the Western bloc after 19 months of delays in which Ankara demanded security-related concessions from Stockholm. The commission, controlled by President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, voted to back the bid - which Sweden made last year in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - after some four hours of debate, including talks on other matters. It had postponed a vote on the bid after an earlier debate on Nov. 16.

Yemen's Houthis claim responsibility for Red Sea container ship attack

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militia claimed responsibility for a missile attack on Tuesday on a container ship in the Red Sea and for an attempt to attack Israel with drones. MSC Mediterranean Shipping said there were no injuries to its crew from the attack on its ship, the United VIII, en route from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan. It said the ship had informed a nearby coalition naval warship that it had come under attack and had taken evasive manoeuvres.

Ukraine strikes Russian naval landing warship, Moscow admits damage

Ukraine struck a large Russian landing warship in Crimea with cruise missiles in an overnight attack that killed at least one person and could hinder any Russian attempt to seize more Ukrainian territory along the Black Sea coast. The Russian defence ministry, cited by the Interfax news agency, said Ukraine had used air-launched missiles to attack the Crimean port of Feodosia and that the Novocherkassk large landing ship had been damaged.

North Korea's Kim convenes key party meeting ahead of new year -KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has kicked off a key meeting of the country's ruling party, state media KCNA reported on Wednesday, setting the stage for unveiling policy decisions for the new year. The ninth Plenary Meeting of the 8th Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea wraps up a year during which the isolated country enshrined nuclear policy in its constitution, successfully launched a spy satellite and fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Congo opposition plans Wednesday election protest despite ban

Opposition candidates in Democratic Republic of Congo's chaotic presidential election plan to march in the capital on Wednesday, despite authorities banning the protest and early results showing the incumbent with a large lead. Martin Fayulu, one of the main challengers to President Felix Tshisekedi in the Dec. 20 election, said in an interview that the opposition candidates who had called the joint demonstration over alleged election irregularities would proceed with the march because they were convinced the vote was a fraud.

As election looms, Biden struggles to match Trump's judicial appointments

The White House is gearing up for what could be President Joe Biden's last chance to put his stamp on the judiciary, as progressive advocates fret that he may fall short of appointing as many judges as former President Donald Trump did over his four-year term. With a November 2024 election rematch between Biden and his Republican predecessor looking increasingly likely, Senate Democrats are pledging to remain focused on confirming Biden's judicial nominees in 2024 and adding to the 166 already approved to sit on the bench.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)